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Hurricanes hope to end four-game slide vs. Sabres

Jan 17, 2009 - 11:26 AM Carolina (21-19-5) at Buffalo (22-17-5), 7:00 pm EST

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- The Carolina Hurricanes will attempt to end a four-game losing streak when they duel the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

The Hurricanes overcame a four-goal deficit but still suffered a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Coach Paul Maurice, who was behind Toronto's bench last season, was highly disappointed with his current team's effort over the first 40 minutes.

"I was pleased with the way we responded but not very pleased that we had to respond to that matter," Maurice said. "The third period is our game that we should try to regularly play."

All-Star Eric Staal, Matt Cullen and Scott Walker each notched a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who have been outscored by a 20-8 margin during their current slide.

Jason Pominville set up two goals in the third period, including Clarke MacArthur's tying tally, and scored the decisive one in the sixth round of the shootout as the Sabres rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Paul Gaustad tallied twice and Jochen Hecht also scored for Buffalo, which rebounded from a 4-1 loss in Chicago on Wednesday to conclude its three-game road trip at 1-2-0.